Panday: Doctors don’t want the PSA

OPPOSITION LEADER Basdeo Panday said yesterday Public Services Association (PSA) president Jennifer Baptiste-Primus was using the UNC to distract the public from the fact that local doctors do not want the PSA as their representative union. Baptiste-Primus claimed on Monday that the former government reneged on an assurance to amend the Regional Health Authorities Act 1994 to give the PSA recognised majority union status for monthly paid workers. She said the assurance was given to the PSA at an April 26, 2000 meeting at which Panday and former Ministers Dr Hamza Rafeeq, Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, Harry Partap and Brian Kuei Tung were present.

However, Panday said Baptiste-Primus’ statements were nothing but an “old trick” to divert attention from the real issue. He said regardless of what transpired at the April 26, 2000 meeting, the reality is that local doctors do not want the PSA as their representative union, although the ruling PNM wants them to play that role. “How does that justify the PSA’s claim to represent the doctors when the doctors don’t want them?” he asked. “She wants this argument. We will not be caught in that argument,” Panday said. Rafeeq said the PSA was told at that meeting that the Act already made provisions for them to represent monthly-paid workers in the RHAs but “they wanted more.” The former Health Minister said the PSA never responded to his request that they “bring a draft of what you want.”

Rafeeq said the UNC has no problem with the PSA representing workers who are already PSA members when transfer to the RHAs from the public service. He pointed out, however, that the majority of the RHA medical personnel “don’t belong to any union” and have aligned themselves with Medical Professional Association of TT (MPATT). He added that an employer could not foist any union on his employees and doctors were “certain” to take legal action against the Government on the RHA Amendment Act which was passed in the House of Representatives on Friday. Rafeeq warned of legal action should the Act be passed in the Senate and then be assented to by President George Maxwell Richards.